A-D-M sends three Tigers to state

Thursday

Feb 20, 2014 at 12:27 AM

By Clint ColeSports Editor

For many wrestlers across the state of Iowa, the high school wrestling season has come to an end. For three A-D-M wretlers, however, the season will continue through Saturday at the state tournament in Des Moines starting on Thursday.

Trevor Harsh (132), Zach Johnston (152) and Nathan Heath (285) are the three wrestlers that will represent the Tigers at the state tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday.

At the district tournament in Adel on Feb. 15, Harsh got first place in the 132 pound bracket.

In his first-round matchup he beat Central Decatur’s Kade Kelso by fall at 1:26. In the finals he wrestled Austin Moen from Saydell who had beaten Winterset’s Jacob Jenkins in the first round. Harsh won in the finals by decision 5-0.

Johnston placed second in the 152 pound bracket, still good enough to qualify for state. He beat Interstate-35’s Sal Arzani in the first round by decision 7-6 before losing in the finals to Grinnell’s Brody Beck 3-1 by sudden victory. Johnston automatically got second since he had already beaten Arzani, who placed third.

Heath qualified for state with a first-place finish in the 285 pound bracket. Heath beat Bobby Heilman of Interstate-35 by fall at 2:26 before winning in the finals over North Polk’s TJ Krehbeil by fall at 1:14.

Darold Baker (182) and Hunter Gibson (195) also participated at the district tournament in Adel on Feb. 15 but were unable to get top-two finishes and qualify for the state tournament.

Baker placed third in the 182-pound bracket. He lost in the first round to Central Decatur’s Trenton Wells by major decision 11-1. Baker then beat Winterset’s Wyatt Miller, who lost to the eventual 182-pound champion, Julio Sanchez, in the first round. Baker beat Miller by major decision 12-3.

Baker got third place by rule because he had already lost to Wells, who placed second in the bracket.

Gibson went 0-2 in the 195-pound bracket, losing in the first round to Interstate-35’s Lonnie Harper, who eventually got second in the bracket, by decision 4-2. Gibson then lost his next match to Winterset’s Nick Tank by sudden victory 3-2.

The state wrestling tournament begins on Thursday with the 2A first rounds and first-round consolations beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing through Saturday where the finals will begin at 6 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.